The Beast and the Princess
by Sweet Ashori
Summary: "You said you were my prince once, right? Well, even princes accidentally trip up in the princess' gown. So think of this as that one time you tripped and I fell." LoLu. A Christmas gift for mosherocks4 and kaahthemarshmello!


Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Author's Note: Merry Christmas Kris and Kaity! This is my gift fic to my lovely friends, mosherocks4 and kaahthemarshmello – hopefully you two enjoy this (I know I did)!

The Beast and the Princess

"_Reversal Magic – Voodoo Doll!"_

_Loke could see his enemy's body shift and change, the body becoming more shapely and curvaceous, hair turning from long and black to short and blonde. His eyes widened at the familiar sight before him, but it was too late to stop his Regulus-enhanced attack from hitting the figure before him._

_As his fist struck the smirking face of his enemy, he heard his precious Lucy scream behind him, his coal eyes widening at the terrifying sound. Quickly he turned to see her on the dirt ground, holding her stomach as she coughed up a bit of blood from the injury she inadvertently received. In that very moment, the Spirit forgot how to move, how to breathe – Loke had hurt her, his beautiful Lucy Heartfilia. His knees giving out, Loke fell to the ground, unable to find the strength to continue standing._

"_Ha, look at how easily you are defeated, mighty Leo the Lion!" the fake Lucy mocked, "In the end, you're nothing but a little kitten!"_

"_Lucy...Lucy, I...!" Loke stammered, his voice lost in his shock._

_The Celestial wizard groaned from her injuries as she tried to stand up, but found herself unable to do so. Her heavy eyes looked up at Loke, staring at her with such disbelief. "Loke...I'm all right, I promise," she said with a strain in her throat, trying her best to reassure her comrade, but instead adding more worry to his mind._

"_Oh my god...what have I done...?" he murmured, Lucy's cries for him going ignored as his world went completely blank._

That incident happened three weeks ago, and it's been three weeks since Loke self-exiled himself to the Celestial Realm. He ignored all of Lucy's calls for him, instead sending Virgo or Cancer in his place (and receiving a punishment from his "sister" in return afterward, the least he felt that he deserved). The same guilt and shame washed over him as what happened those years ago when news of Karen's death reached his ears – because of his blindness, his own hands, he hurt his owner.

To make matters worse, he hurt Lucy, the woman he fell for the moment she stepped into Fairy Tail, the woman that saved him from disappearing and gave him a reason to live again. There was no way in Hell he could face her, to be her knight when he hurt his princess. That day...he proved he was nothing more than an idiotic beast, like the lion spirit he was born to be.

Lucy, on the other hand, felt no ill will towards her comrade. She knew there was no way to stop the attack in mid-stride, especially when their enemy shifted his shape into her figure. In the moments after he was defeated, thanks to a luring trick by Gray and Natsu, she forgave Loke for the incident, reassuring him over and over that she was all right and she didn't blame him in the slightest for her injuries. However, he instead force-closed his gate, his voice straining out an apology, and stayed closed for the three weeks afterward, instead being answered by her other spirits much to her dismay.

However, after three weeks of the same pattern, the usually-shy ram Spirit Aries grew tired of the games and confronted her friend on the subject.

"Leo! Why do you keep ignoring Lucy? She's been calling you all this time, and yet you keep sending Virgo or Cancer in your place. You need to talk to her about this!" Aries exclaimed, "I know she doesn't blame you for what happened with her...there's no reason for you to keep ignoring her!"

Loke smiled sadly at his comrade, "Aries, you know what happened with Karen, what I did to her. I almost did the same thing to Lucy. How can I face her when I almost committed the same sin?"

"But you didn't! Leo...are you really going to separate yourself from her? Just like in the beginning?"

The orange-haired man didn't get the chance to answer before the familiar glow of a gate being opened, followed by Lucy's voice making her call.

"Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!"

Loke sighed, trying to push Aries to take his place, but instead found his arm grabbed tightly and being dragged alongside the usually timid girl into the light. "Aries, what are you doing!" he demanded, but received no answer as the light of the gate swallowed them both and reopened in Earthland, in Lucy's bedroom.

When the light dissipated and revealed the two spirits, Lucy was surprised by the sight – not only did Loke finally answer her call himself, but Aries also arrived without being called out. The wizard didn't feel any more tired than usual from the transport, so she assumed Aries used her own powers to bring herself along, but still, it was a surprise to be seen.

"Aries, why are you here? Did I disturb something between you to?" Lucy asked, standing up from the comfort of her bed to meet face-to-face with her comrades, "If I did, I apologize."

Aries shook her head with a kind smile, "No, you didn't. I came to make sure Leo came to talk with you. All of us are becoming annoyed with his game of ignoring you, so we want to put an end to it."

She looked at Loke at that moment, "Now, sit and talk to Lucy about everything and don't come back until you get this settled, or I'll have Virgo send you right back here. Got it, Leo?"

Letting go of Loke's arm, Aries stepped back and forced-open her gate to send her back to the Celestial Realm. "Ah, Aries!" Loke called out, "What are you-?"

His words were stopped as Aries disappeared with the light, leaving him alone with the slightly-bewildered Lucy. Staring at the ground, he turned to face her, trying to come up with something, anything to say to her, but found the words twisting and dying on his tongue.

"Lucy...I'm sorry...I-"

No other words escaped his lips when his breath caught in his throat and his body fell to the floor, weighed down by Lucy's body crushing against his own. Her face buried into his chest, arms around his waist tightly as quiet sniffles began to echo through the room. "Loke...you stupid idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot!" she yelled into his shirt, taking Loke further off-guard.

"L-lucy?" the lion Spirit stuttered out, "What...? Why are you crying?"

"Idiot, I told you I was all right! I told you I didn't blame you for what happened, but you kept blaming yourself!" Lucy yelled, "I kept summoning you because I needed you, and when Virgo or Cancer came out in your place...I was so upset because you were being so stupid over something you shouldn't be blaming yourself for!"

"Lucy...but look at what happened. I hurt you," Loke muttered, leaning up enough to brush a hand over his owner's stomach, the area where he had inadvertently injured her, "I could've killed you."

"But I'm still here!"

"You don't understand! It would've been just like with Karen, but this time...I would've...I would've..."

"Would've what?"

Loke drifted off, removing his hand from the spot on her stomach and looking on the floor. "I would've lost the woman I care for the most. My reason for living," he said softly, tears stinging his eyes, "I can't bare the thought that I hurt you in the slightest. I can't!"

Lucy's chocolate eyes widened for a moment, then softened as she sighed with a smile. Taking his hand into hers, she led it to her chest, placing it above her heart. She held back the laugh at the dark-red blush that covered her nakama's face, despite the pink stain on her cheeks.

"Can you feel that?" she asked sincerely, "My heart's still beating. I'm still alive. You said you were my prince once, right? Well, even princes accidentally trip up in the princess' gown. So think of this as that one time you tripped and I fell. A simple accident, a mistake. I got a little scuffed up, but I'm all right. I promise."

The lion Spirit remained silent, awestruck by the woman's words. He could feel her heartbeat against his fingers, the calm thumping reassuring and comforting him. The tears began to fall down his cheeks as he leaned forward, leaning his ear against the area where his hand once was. The sound was just as soothing, and Lucy's smile widened a bit as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders with her fingers brushing slighting in his locks.

"I'm still so sorry, Lucy..."

"It's all right, Loke. I'm still here."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Loke closed his eyes and began to drift off with his new favorite sound. "Can we...stay like this for a little while?" he asked shyly, not wanting to scare or offend her.

Instead Lucy straightened out her legs, not wanting them to cramp up, as she tightened her grip, one hand lightly rubbing his back, "Yes. Of course."

It was sometime later when Lucy woke up, not even knowing she fell asleep, sprawled out on the floor within Loke's protective grip. For a moment, she went wide-eyed, but then relaxed as she stared at her Spirit's sleeping face. She smiled, closing her eyes again as she cuddled into his chest.

"Sleep well, my prince," she whispered sweetly, her fingers curling into his shirt as she drifted back off into slumber.


End file.
